Our Work

Public Hygiene Lets Us Stay Human. PHLUSH believes that toilet availability is a human right and that well-designed sanitation systems restore health to our cities, our waters and our soils. We work in three areas: Urban Restroom Design, Ecological Sanitation, and Emergency Toilets. Here’s how we have put our commitment into practice since 2005.

2009 Local community fundraising enabled two PHLUSH Co-Founders to travel to Singapore following invitation from the World Toilet Organization to present the PHLUSH Public Restroom Design Principles.First PHLUSH Awards honored public restroom heros. PHLUSH website and blog were launched. Neighborhood Hospitality Campaign provided restroom locator cards and window signage to direct visitors to public restrooms. The Sustainable Sanitation Alliance admitted PHLUSH as its 128th partner.

For decades the lack of public restrooms had been a problem for business owners, employees, residents, and visitors in Portland’s Old Town Chinatown district. Located at the heart of the city, this is the place where Portland began. It was home to the historic skid road of a timber-dominated economy driven by workers from Oregon and around the world. By the late 20th century it would have two National Historic Districts and a dozen social service agencies serving Portland’s poorest citizens.

In early 2005, the Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood Association invited newly-elected Portland Mayor Tom Potter to visit the neighborhood. As a result of the ensuing dialogue, the neighborhood took on the challenges of engaging the issue of public toilets as a part of a collaborative process with the city. The PHLUSH initiative originated in mid 2005 when a small group of residents, business owners and staff of human services organizations stepped up to study the restroom problem and recommend ways to address it.

In late 2006, City Council allocated funds to increase public restroom availability in Portland’s downtown core and Mayor Tom Potter appointed three PHLUSH co-founders to the Restroom Implementation Team. Working alongside specialists from Portland Parks and Recreation, Portland Office of Transportation, Portland Police Bureau, the Portland Business Alliance and others, we had the opportunity to follow through on several key recommendations.

The Restroom Implementation Team reopened a number of stalls and negotiated a 20-year city lease to open public facilities in a privately-owned parking structure. Toilet opening hours were standardized, new restroom signage put up and and distinctive bicycle racks designed and installed. Finally, the Team launched a community based design process which involved local community members, artists and planners. Community attitudes and preferences regarding facility design, safety and siting informed planning for the Portland Loo when additional funding became available.

PHLUSH restroom design work has continued, while we’ve pursued the new directions of ecological and emergency sanitation.